Until last year, BM&M relied on a sign-in book at reception, but when the company moved to a much larger, two-storey production facility, they realized they had to have something more sophisticated to keep track of visitors, Goosen says.

“We used to be able, because there were many eyes, to see who was coming onto our property. But when we expanded, we needed to have it so that anybody at a glance could take a look at a person who’s on our property. If they’re not one of us, then we’re able to say, ”˜OK, you should have that identifiable visitor badge.’ ”

The company also needed a stricter pass and record system because, Goosen says, it ships goods internationally and participates in security initiatives with the border. “So this is part of the initiative as well, that we have a well identifiable way of tracking people coming onto our site.”

And the new system will likely prove useful in an emergency, Goosen adds. If their building had to be evacuated, the receptionist’s first responsibility is to check the log to see if every visitor has recorded a time-out. If not, the receptionist must investigate to see whether the person is still on site or left with the pass. “So, from a safety point of view as well, it is quite valuable,” she says.

The visitor passes come in three types, varying in cost and print visibility. A company can choose a hand-written or computerized system and can have the passes printed in any language.

While most clients want the passes to display information such as the visitor’s company and name of the employee they’re visiting, says Suzanne Corcoran, product director for Data Management, some want the passes to contain much more. In addition to a logo, colours or tagline, the passes may include bar-coding, consecutive numbering and even the licence plate number of the car the visitor drove onto the lot.

Some companies want the person to sign a visitor agreement, Corcoran adds, something that would limit the company’s liability or a confidentiality statement. “We have badges that contain that language and that the visitor actually signs right there — that they have read this and that they agree to the polices — and then they get their badge at the same time.

The expiring passes are particularly popular with organizations that see a high number of visitors, Corcoran says, such as hospitals, government departments and schools. ¥

Linda Johnson is an intern with Canadian Security.